Synopsis: Keselgraad. A city of iron and stone, rising from the mist-shrouded wasteland to pierce the pallid clouds. A colossal man-made mountain stretching a mile high, from the blood-stained alleyways of the Slums to the crystal-studded spire of the Church of the Mother, whose amethyst shards shine brighter than any star. Keselgraad. Both a haven […]
Reviews
Review: New Sword Smell (A Splatter Elf Collection) by Philip Overby
Synopsis Includes naughty language and splattery violenceIn the chaotic, gore-slicked world of Groteskia, everyone owns a sword, but few know how to use them. Enter Katzia of Clovenhoof aka the Splatter Elf, Number 6 on the Crystalline Crab Top Ten, the elite list of monster hunting celebrities that scrape and claw their way to the […]
Review: Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix
Synopsis There’s power in a book… They call them wayward girls. Loose girls. Girls who grew up too fast. And they’re sent to the Wellwood Home in St. Augustine, Florida, where unwed mothers are hidden by their families to have their babies in secret, give them up for adoption, and most important of all, to […]
Book Review: The Light of Kazaban by Thomas Howard Riley
TL;DR Review: In the grimdarkness of this tale, the light of resilience and strength of spirit shine beautifully bright. Synopsis: In the brutal desert city of Kasaban, the old gods have had their statues crushed to powder by invading Priests, with magick forbidden to anyone but themselves. Merely being born as one of the magi […]
Review: The Novice (Summoner #1) by Taran Matharu
Synopsis: Fletcher is working as a blacksmith’s apprentice when he discovers he has the rare ability to summon demons from another world. Chased from his village for a crime he did not commit, Fletcher must travel with his demon, Ignatius, to an academy for adepts, where the gifted are taught the art of summoning. Along […]
Review: Absolute Batman #2
Synopsis: Batman was born out of violence – a horrible tragedy that shaped the trajectory of his future. But when a vigilant MI6 agent starts tracking the lonely life of Bruce Wayne, he discovers the interconnectivity between a hero’s shell life and the many layers of the Black Mask Gang. It’s Batman versus Alfred Pennyworth! […]
Review: Embargo on Hope (Star Marked) by Justin Doyle
Synopsis On planet Vastire, worth is set by the sins of one’s ancestors. Good families rise to the elite and the wicked fall into poverty. Unfortunately for sixteen-year-old Darynn Mark, his father incited a revolution. Now, Darynn scrounges his way through life in the slums. When Vastire is surrounded by an embargo, it gets even […]
Review: Sorcery and Small Magics (The Wildersongs Trilogy #1) by Maiga Doocy
I feel like this was originally described to me as ‘cosy’ but I’m not sure that fits. If you ignore the romance this is a story about an accidental curse and two students’ journey into a dangerous magical forest to find a cure. They hear rumours of a sorcerer who might be able to undo the curse that Grimm accidentally uses on Leo, and I really enjoyed the portion of the book where they ventured into the forest and braved the monsters within. That in itself made for a great story, but add in a very slow-burn romance and I found myself really enjoying Sorcery and Small Magics.
Review: Rest Stop by Nat Cassidy
Synopsis: A young musician finds himself locked inside a gas station bathroom in the middle of the night by an unseen assailant, caught between the horrors on the other side of the door and the horrors rapidly skittering down the walls inside. Review: Grisly and absurd in more ways than a centipede has legs, “Rest […]
Review: Thrill Switch by Tim Hawken
Thrill Switch is a detective story that also entertains questions about the role of law and the meaning of reality.
Review: Wake Up and Open Your Eyes by Clay McLeod Chapman
Synopsis Noah Fairchild has been losing his formerly polite Southern parents to far-right cable news for years, so when his mother leaves him a voicemail warning him that the “Great Reawakening” is here, he assumes it’s related to one of the many conspiracy theories she believes in. But when his own phone calls go unanswered, […]
Review: The Sunset Sovereign: A Dragon’s Memoir by Laura Huie
Synopsis: When a dragon finds an assassin sneaking into his lair, he tells her of his life’s work and his soon to be final chapter. For the past thousand years, the dragon Vakandi has watched the people of Vakfored grow from a wandering band of refugees to a glorious city of art and magic. Under […]